What Can Hibiscus Tea Do for Your Hair?

As you know if you’ve ever made hibiscus tea, the tea itself is a ruby-red, and it leaves stains if you happen to spill any.

It can also leave red color in your hair — if your hair is light enough, and if the hibiscus tea you use for the rinse is strong enough.

It’s not like a regular hair dye; don’t expect the kind of spectacular, long-lasting results you would get from unadulterated henna. After you wash your hair a couple of times, the hibiscus stain will go away.

But then, that’s also the charm of this rinse. You can try it out without worrying that it will actually dye your hair without any way to remove the color, the way henna does.

Herbal Conditioner

Several dark-haired people on the Long Hair Forum who have tried a hibiscus tea rinse have reported that it didn’t add color to their hair at all.

Instead, the tea gave their hair extra softness and shine, the kind you get from a really good conditioner. So it’s worth trying, just for that, I think.

Study Shows: Hibiscus Tea Lowers Blood Pressure

Just 3 cups of hibiscus tea a day could reduce blood pressure, a study has shown.

Sixty-five people aged between 30 and 70 with "at risk" blood pressure levels were split into two groups. The first group drank hibiscus tea three times a day. The second group drank hibiscus-flavored water.

After six weeks, the hibiscus group showed an average fall of 7.2 % in blood pressure. Some even recorded a 13.2 % drop. The placebo group recorded a 1.3 % drop.

All-natural hibiscus tea contains antioxidants, which have been linked to many health benefits, including protection against heart disease and cancer.

Nutrition scientist Diane McKay, PhD, of Tufts University in Boston, presented the study to the American Heart Association's annual conference.